The truth about coaching program

And how to avoid getting ripped off...

April 08, 2024

1,029 Words | 4 Min 16 Sec Read

Welcome to another issue of Passionate Income.

Today we’ll be discussing the Pros, Cons, and outright scams you should be aware of before signing up for a high-ticket coaching program.

Let’s dive in.

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Odds are you've heard the tropes before:

"Tiger Woods had a coach. Kobe Bryant had a coach. So why do you - an Average Joe - think you can succeed without one?"

If not, this was a common argument made for why you should hire someone to get help back in the late 2010s.

I bring this up because - in general - there's some validity to this argument.

If you're trying to learn a new skill and accomplish a new goal, many experts - including Tim Ferris and Tony Robbins - believe the fastest way to do so is to find someone who's already done that thing (ideally multiple times over) and get them to help you.

Which, unless they feel compelled to mentor you, means paying them.

On the one hand, there are millions of people whose lives have been improved because of the coaching industry. And not just improved, but in some cases, dramatically transformed for the better.

From weight loss to stock investing, getting help from someone who understands the terrain - and the path to success - can shortcut the learning curve while reducing how much pain and suffering you have to go through.

On the downside, because the coaching industry is not regulated, quite literally anyone on earth can throw up a website and social media profile and call themselves a coach.

And because of that, the industry has been tainted by amateurs and charlatans who don't have the skills or experience required to help people.

The problem compounds further when we consider most coaching programs cost thousands of dollars. A reality that turned high ticket coaching into a predator's playground.

From outright scams, to well-intentioned but incapable beginners, there are countless horror stories of people who've spent $2,500, $5,000, $10,000 or more on a coaching program and been completely ripped off.

Which raises the question:

"How do you find the good ones so you can avoid being ripped off?"

As someone who went deep into the high ticket industry from 2017 to 2019, and worked at one of the largest "how to get high ticket clients" companies, here are my thoughts.

First, understand that by definition, the larger a program is, the further removed the "guru" is from executing in the trenches.

When a true expert (not a faker) opens up a program, odds are they're still executing on whatever tactic, strategy, etc. they'll be teaching inside their program. But as time goes on, and their coaching business gets larger, they by definition have to step into more of a CEO role.

While this is great for growing the coaching business, it's horrible for most of their students. Why?

Because the more time the guru spends in the CEO role, the further detached they become from the thing they're coaching. Which, in turn, leads to their system and strategies becoming less effective over time.

This can be a death blow for their students, as the strategies required to stay competitive in most of today's market change from Quarter to Quarter. Meaning, no matter how well-intentioned someone is, if what they're teaching is out of date, you're not going to succeed.

Because of that, I recommend looking for experts with long track records of success doing their thing, but who are relatively new to coaching.

Second, understand that most testimonials are cherry-picked from the coach's absolute best students.

While it's compelling to log onto a page and see dozens/hundreds of success stories, in 99% of cases, what are you aren't seeing are the thousands of students who failed.

Same goes for those highly convincing, emotionally compelling video testimonials. While they may tug at your heartstrings, and get you to think "Wow, this person is just like me," what you're not seeing are the hundreds of students who were never interviewed because they didn't get results.

In short, while a coach should have "some" social proof, don't let yourself be fooled by big long pages showing tons of success stories. Because what you aren't aren't seeing are the bodies they're buried on top of.

Third, coaches (including ones offered by brands instead of just individuals) who are confident in their system will offer some kind of guarantee.

As an example, there's a cold email program that guarantees you can stay in the program until you land a minimum of eight new clients.

What matters are the terms of the guarantee.

I bring this up because one guarantee that's common in the industry is the:

"If you don't get X results within X weeks or months, you can stay in the program until you do."

On the surface, it sounds like a fair offer.

What people fail to realize, however, is that it's really just a cop out.

Because if you don't get the results in the promised timeframe, the likelihood of you getting them after another month or two is extremely unlikely (based on my experience).

Meaning, this guarantee has no real penalty to the coach if you don't succeed. Instead, they can keep extending your time in the program until you get so frustrated you give up.

Instead, look for Money Back Guarantees where the criteria for qualifying can be clearly defined.

Last, look for someone you vibe with and who seems to have integrity.

While this might sound obvious, as someone who's seen behind the curtain, I've noticed a consistent pattern where the coaches who seem like nice, genuine people tend to have higher success rates in their programs.

On the flip side, the high-profile millionaire gurus - many of which are narcissists and/or sociopaths - tend to have some of the lowest.

💡 Takeaway: Hiring a coach can have life-altering consequences. But it can also result in your losing 4-5 figures if you hire the wrong person. So be patient when considering hiring someone, understand how they trick you, and protect yourself by only working with experts who offer a guarantee.

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